Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-05-30
KENTUCKY PIONEERS.
Thrilling Story of the Capture and Rescue
of Three Girls.
Harper's Magazine for June.

of Three Girls
! HarpeI'S Magazine for June.
The dangers which Boone and his com.
panions encountered in the fields came to
the very doors of their cabins and con-
stantly menaced their families. Indians
lurked singly or in parties to seize q
prisoner or take a scalp whenever an
incautious white should give the oppor-
J tunity. Frequent combsts (and each
combat ended, as rule, in the death OF
one or both of those engaged had habitu-
ated the men to danger. 1t WAS later
that they felt the danger of their wives
and children.
Late on Sunday afternoon, in July,
1776, three young girls ventured from the
i enclosure Of Boonesborough to amuse
J themselves with canoe upon the river
that flowed by the fort. InsensiblY they
drifted with the lazy current, and before
they were aware of their danger were
seized by five warriors. Their resistance
was useless, though they welded the
| paddles with desperation. Their canoe
was drawn ashore, and they were
hurried off in rapid retreat toward
the Shawnee towns in Ohio. Their
screams were heard at the fort, and the
cause well guessed. Two of the girls
were Betsey and Frances, daughters of
| Colonel Richard Galloway; the other
was Jemima, daughter of Boone. The
| fathers were absent, but soon returned
to hear the evil news and arrange the
pursuit. Galloway assembled mounted
party, and was away through the woods
to head eff the Indians, if pos
sible, before they might reach and
cross the Ohio, or before the fatigue OF
their rapid march should so overcome
| the poor girls as to cause their captOrs
to tomahawk them, and so disencumber
their flight. Boone started directly on
the trail through the thickets and cane
brakes. His rule was never to ride if he
could possibly walk. All his journeys
and hunts, escapes and pursuits we're on
foot. His little party numbered eight,
and the anxiety of fathers heart quick
ened it's leader, and found g ready re-
Spouse in the breasts OF three young men,
the lovers of the girls.
Betsey Galloway, the eldest of the girls,
marked the trail as the Indians hurried
them along by breaking tWigs and bend
ing bushes, and when threatened with the
uomahaWk if she persisted tore small bits
from her dress and dropped them to guide
the pursuers. Where the ground was
soft enough to receive an impression they
would press footprint. The flight was
in the best Indian method; the Indians
marched some yards apart through the
bushes and cane compelling their Captiyes
to do the same. When creek was
crossed they waded in it's water to dis
tant point, where the march would De
resumed. BY ell the caution and skill Of
their training the Indians endeavored TO
obscure their trail and perpleX the pur-
suer5.
The nightfall of the first day stopped
the pursuit OF Boone before ne had gone
far; but he had fixed the direction the
Indians were taking, and at early dawn
was following them. The chase was
continued with all the speed that
could be made for thirty miles.
Again darkness compelled a halt,
and again at crack of day on Tue sday the
pursuit was renewed. 1t was not long
before light film of smoke that arose in
the distance showed where the Indians
were cooking breakfast of buffalo meat.
The pursuers cautiously approached,
fearing lest the Indians might STAY their
captiyes and escape. Colonel John Floyd,
who was one of the party (himself after
wards killed by Indians), thus described
the attack and the rescue, in letter
written the next Sunday to the Lieuten-
ant of Fincastle, Colonel William Pres
ton:
"Our study had been how to get the
prisoners without giving the Indians time
TO murder them after they discovered US.
-Four OF US fred snG all of US rushed on
them; by which they were prevented from
carrying anything away except one shot
gun without any ammunition. Colonel
Boone and myself each had 8 pretty fair
shot as they began to move off. l am
we'll convinced | shot one through the
body. The one he shot dror ped his gun;
mine had none. The place was covered
with thick cane, and being so
much elated on recovering the three
poor little heart-broken girls, we
were prevented from making any further
search. We sent the Indians off almost
naked, some Of them without their moe
casins and none of them with so much as
knife or tomahaWk. After the girls
came TO themselves sufficiently to speak
they told US there were five Indians, four
Shawanese and one Cherokee, they could
speak good English and said they should
20 to the Shawanese towns. The war
club we got was like those have seen of
that nation, and several words of their
language, which the girls retained, were
known to be Shswanese."
The return with the rescued girls was
the occasion for great rejoicing. To
crown their satisfaction, the young lovers
had proved their prowess, and under the
eye of the greatest of ell woodsmen had
shown their skill and courage. They had
fairly wen the girls they loved. Two
weeks later general summons went
throughout the little settlements to ct
tend the first wedding ever solemuized on
Kentucky soil. Samuel Henderson and
Betsey Galloway were married in the pres
ence of an approving company t2at
celebrated the event with dancing
and fessting. The formal license
from the county court was not waited
for, as the courthouse of Fincastle, of
which county Kentucky was part, was
distant more than 600 miles. The cere-
mony consisted of the contract with wit
nesses and religious vows administered
by Boone's brother, who was an occa-
sional preacher of the persuasion popu-
larly known as Hardshell Bsptists.
Frances Galloway became within a year
the wife of the gallant Captain John
Holder, sfterward greatly distinguished
in the pioneer annals; and Boone's
4 i A. \